Napping during cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: Friends or foes?

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Behavioral Psychology

Background:

• Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the leading treatment for chronic insomnia.
• A key component of CBT-I involves restricting time in bed, which can increase daytime sleepiness.
• There is no established consensus among clinicians on whether to permit short naps during CBT-I.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of authorized napping on the effectiveness of CBT-I in patients with insomnia.
• To compare outcomes between a group permitted to nap and a matched group not permitted to nap.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 108 patients with insomnia.
• Comparison of a napping group versus a non-napping control group.
• Assessment of CBT-I efficiency using the Insomnia Severity Index and Beck Depression Inventory-2, alongside sleep diary data.

Main Results:

• Napping was associated with enhanced early afternoon alertness.
• Napping did not negatively impact improvements in insomnia severity or depressive symptoms.
• Self-reported sleep efficiency, latency, and wake after sleep onset remained unaffected by napping.

Conclusions:

• Authorised napping appears to be a safe addition to CBT-I, potentially improving alertness.
• Napping does not seem to hinder the therapeutic benefits of CBT-I on insomnia symptoms.
• Further research using objective sleep measures is recommended to validate these findings and explore adherence benefits.